Council is praised for its dog doo clean-up

The Riverside Walk between the Leisure Centre and Huntly �Edward Byrne Photography INBL1538-230EB

Published:07:37Wednesday 23 September 2015

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Residents have praised the council for its clean-up of the riverside footpath which runs from the leisure centre to the Huntly area of Banbridge, but have hit out at those who have so quickly spoiled it again.

Citing instances of dog poo, discarded drinks bottles and dumped rubbish seen within hours of the clean-up, one resident has called for people to take responsibility and make use of the bins the council has provided.

The council has said it is pleased that members of the public have noticed the improvement and that if it deems it necessary will place additional bins in the area.

A spokesperson said: “The council has always taken great pride in the appearance of all areas within its remit.

“The riverside walkway which runs from Banbridge Leisure Centre to Huntly is routinely cleaned and maintained and the council are delighted that local residents have expressed their appreciation for the upkeep of the walk.

“This is down to the hard work and dedication of the technical services operatives that look after council owned areas.

“The council would also like to thank members of the public for also taking pride in their environment and would encourage them to continue to respect their shared surroundings and help stamp out littering and dog fouling by using the waste bins provided or taking their rubbish home for disposal and recycling.”

Some residents have called for more bins to help alleviate the problem and have questioned where bins actually are along the walk, saying people are more inclined to clean up after their dogs when there are more bins.

“Between rates and dog license fees people pay enough to have a few more bins,” said Damian Mccusker.

Others, however feel that no amount of bins will make a difference if people won’t make the effort to walk a short distance to the bins provided and make use of them.

One resident said: “From the middle of that path the most you would have to carry a poop bag would be 400 metres. It would not kill anyone to carry bits to either bins or perhaps home to their own bin,” he added.

The council confirmed: “This beautiful stretch of walkway which runs alongside the Bann currently has a total of three litter bins and two dog waste bins.”

The spokesperson continued: “The council continually monitor all areas for any instances of increased littering and dog fouling and will place additional bins in an area if it is deemed necessary.”

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